Women can’t be pastors (spoiler: there are no pastors in the Bible)

This is a compilation of a conversation myself and others had in a Facebook thread today, as well as other conversations I’ve had on the topic.

A: There are no pastors in the Bible.

B: Only men can be pastors.

A: There are no pastors in the Bible. But if we're talking about ruling over the people, making absolute final decisions according to the legal and spiritual law of the land, what about Deborah?

B: She was a prophet not a pastor.

A: Right, there are no pastors in the Bible. But if we're talking about making the final determination of what is and is not Scriptural authority, what about Huldah?

B: She was a prophet, not a pastor.

A: Right, there are no pastors in the Bible. But if we're talking about announcing the good news of the gospel to the people, what about Yeshua making women the first to do so?

B: They were just sharing their testimony, not being pastors.

A: Right, there are no pastors in the Bible. But if we're talking about serving in the role of deacon, serving in the vein of Moses, the apostles and the elders, how about Martha?

B: No, the word diakonia means one thing when it refers to men and something entirely different when it refers to women. So she wasn't a deacon or a pastor.

A: Right, there are no pastors in the Bible. But if you want to use the word pastor, it literally means shepherd, and there were multiple shepherdesses in the Bible.

B: But they were shepherding sheep, not people. So it couldn't possibly mean the same thing because women can't shepherd people.

A: What does a shepherd do? They protect the flock. Hmmm, sounds like an ezer, a helper as God was Israel's helper in times of battle, protecting them. God called woman the ezer.

B: Yea, but protecting isn't being a pastor even though that's something shepherds do.

A: Right there are no pastors in the Bible. But if you want to use the word pastor, what else does a pastor do? How about lead the people.

B: Ha! Gotcha. Women can't be leaders.

A: Hmm, what does leader mean? Should any of us be focused on leading? Don't you call yourself a servant leader? Can women not serve?

B: Well, yes, but just as subordinates who do the dishes and stuff. They can't serve, in, you know...a leadership way, with authority. That would be the role of a pastor!

A: There are no pastors in the Bible. But apostles had authority. So how about Junia?

B: Fine, there are no pastors in the Bible, just deacons, apostles, elders, prophets, judges and priests. But they were all men and I think Junia was made up.

A: Prophetesses have authority. How about Deborah and Huldah?

B: They were exceptions to the rule.

A: What rule?

B: The rule that women can't have authority.

A: Where does the Bible say that?

B: Paul said elders are "husbands of one wife."

A: So it doesn't actually say "women can't have authority" or "women can't be elders," or "elders can only be men," correct? God never said it. Yeshua never said it.

B: Well, not in those words, but it's inferred by Paul.

A: How did anyone know that was the case for thousands of years before Paul wrote a letter?

B: Don't you believer the NT is Scipture?

A: Of course, but answer the question. IF that is what Paul was inferring, how did anyone know prior to that?

B: Because only men were priests.

A: Only Levites were priests. So aren't you disqualified from having authority too, as a gentile? Also, the priests job was to sacrifice, not lead.

B: But only men were elders.

A: What was a judge?

B: An elder over all the other elders.

A: Hmmm, we're back to Deborah.

B: So how did anyone know this was a law before Paul possibly inferred that only men could be elders?

A: Paul is Scripture!

A: Of course, but Paul wasn’t trying to add to the laws of Torah.

So let me get this straight: God never said women couldn't have authority over a congregation, prophesy (which means to speak the words of God to the people), or teach. In fact, he put multiple women in these positions (Deborah, Huldah), and called women the ezer as he is the ezer.

Yeshua never said women couldn't have authority, prophesy or teach. In fact, Martha was a deacon, Anna was the first to publicly prophesy the Messiah in the Temple, Yeshua sent the Samaritan women to teach her town about him, and then made women the first to declare the Gospel.

Paul praised multiple female deacons and apostles as his coworkers (not subordinates), described us all using the gifts of the spirit without mention of gender, and specifically talked about women prophesying.

But then he said men who are elders should not be polygamists and that one sentence in one letter can be inferred to mean that only men are elders.... so.... making sure I've got this straight here... that means everything God and Yeshua said and did is out the window, and because you made an inference about Paul's words, women can't do all the things God and Yeshua allowed them and even told them to do?

Right, women can't be pastors.

Correct, there are no pastors in the Bible.